Date and time
October 23, 2024
11:30am–1:00pm ET
Overview
In June 2023, the United States Supreme Court issued landmark affirmative action decisions, reshaping the terrain for admissions policies and practices at all institutions of higher education, including graduate education. As colleges and universities confront this changing legal landscape, there is an urgent need to explore innovative approaches to selection processes and practices that support diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion principles to enable graduate institutions to benefit from the full talent spectrum of the country and promote creativity and innovation in science.
During this webinar, experts in graduate education and systemic change management will discuss evidence-based practices and case studies of successful holistic admissions programs. The webinar will provide faculty, admissions officers, and other higher education professionals with a roadmap for implementing mission-driven systemic change in graduate admissions.
This webinar is closely related to a webinar hosted by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) in 2023, “Creating Equitable and Inclusive Graduate Programs: From Recruiting to Acceptance to Retention.”
About the Speakers
Sara Xayarath Hernández
Associate Dean for Student & Faculty Engagement and Work
Graduate School at Cornell University
As associate provost for Student & Faculty Inclusion and Engagement for the Graduate School at Cornell University, Hernández serves as a member of the senior leadership team of the Vice Provost for Graduate Education providing vision and strategic management for Graduate School initiatives and policies related to access, diversity, inclusion, equity and systemic change in graduate admissions and mentoring. Working with partners within the Graduate School and the Provost’s Office of Faculty Development and Diversity, Hernández co-leads the Faculty Advancing Inclusive Mentoring Resource Center supporting faculty in their development as mentors and graduate students in their mentoring experiences.
Hernández is the principal investigator for a grant funded by the Sloan Foundation focused on improving holistic admissions and mentoring practices for graduate students within the Sloan University Centers for Exemplary Mentoring and Sloan Indigenous Graduate Partnership communities. She is also a steering committee and leadership team member for the national Equity in Graduate Education Consortium. In addition, Hernández serves on steering and advisory boards for the Ivy+ Faculty Advancement Network, the Council on Graduate Schools, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, and the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration.
Hernández identifies as Chicana and Mestiza and is the child of first- and second-generation immigrants. She grew up in a rural Midwestern farming community where, along with her mother, she became involved in social justice with immigrant farming communities from an early age. He is a first-generation college graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Zoology from Ohio Wesleyan University and a Master of Regional Planning from Cornell University. Navigating life in partnership with her husband and keeping up with their young daughter bring her great joy and keep her grounded.
Denzil A. Streete, Ph.D.
Senior Associate Dean and Director of Graduate Education
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Dr. Streete serves as senior associate dean and director of Graduate Education at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he leads the team responsible for the well-being of the Institute’s 7,000+ graduate students. He previously served as assistant vice president for Graduate Studies and Chief of Staff in the Department of Graduate Studies at the University of California, Berkeley, and as assistant dean for graduate student development and diversity at Yale University’s School of Arts and Sciences. Guided by his own Ph.D. Dr. Streete has dedicated his career to transforming graduate education, focusing on recruiting and retaining minority students and expanding graduate career opportunities.
In addition to speaking at campuses and national conferences, Dr. Streete uses web-based approaches to recruit students. Notably, the “Pipeline to the Ph.D. Bootcamp” in 2018 and other disciplinary bootcamps, which have provided over 5,000 underrepresented students nationwide with the tools and knowledge to apply to competitive PhD programs. He also facilitates workshops for faculty and staff with individual graduate programs to improve their recruitment strategies and departmental climate.
Born in Morvant, Trinidad and Tobago, Denzil moved to the United States for his college education. He graduated with honors from the College of St. Francis in Brooklyn, New York, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics. He later earned his PhD from Teachers College, Columbia University, majoring in Comparative and International Education with a focus on the Economics of Education.
About the moderator
Brittany Haynes, Ph.D.
Workforce Program Director Diversity and Equity
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Office of Workforce Disparities and Diversity Research
Dr. Haynes is the Program Director of Workforce Diversity and Equity in the Office for Disparities Research and Workforce Diversity at NIMH. In this role, Dr. Haynes coordinates and promotes a portfolio of research grants focused on achieving workforce diversity and equity at all academic career levels, from undergraduates to faculty, in the mental health field.
Previously, Dr. Haynes was a scientific program specialist in the Education Branch of the Office of Policy, Communications, and Education of the National Center for the Advancement of Translational Sciences (NCATS). At NCATS, he worked to expand the translational science workforce by evaluating translational science training programs and developing translational science curricula. Dr. Haynes received her PhD in Cancer Biology from Wayne State University and completed her postdoctoral fellowship at the National Cancer Institute. Dr. Haynes was also a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science and Technology Policy Office of Intramural Education NCATS Division of Preclinical Innovation.
About the Disparities Research and Workforce Webinar Series
The Office for Disparities Research and Workforce Diversity Webinar Series is designed for researchers conducting or interested in conducting research on mental health disparities, women’s mental health, minority mental health, and rural mental health.
Recording
This webinar is free, but registration is required .
Under the patronage
National Institute of Mental Health, Office on Workforce Disparities and Diversity Research
Contact
For questions, contact Brittany Haynes, Ph.D.
